Brown finally gets the call

Published: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 12:32 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 12:32 a.m.

Ted Brown finally got inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday and if N.C. State fans were wondering what took so long, they would most definitely be justified.

It took 35 years for Brown, one of the greatest players in Atlantic Coast Conference history, to get inducted, to be recognized as one of the best to ever play on the college gridiron.

Not your typical running back, Brown was more the size of a defensive back at 5-10, 175. That didn't stop the High Point native from becoming the only four-time All-ACC player in history or to set the conference career rushing mark that, remarkably, still stands. Brown rushed for 4,602 yards. Add in three bowl games and the total is 5,001 yards. During that era, the NCAA did not recognize bowl accomplishments as part of career statistics.

That's not all.

Brown also holds the ACC career records for rushing touchdowns (49), career 100-yard games (27) and average rushing yards per game (107). He rushed for a school record 1,350 yards as a senior and had a school-record 251 yards rushing against Penn State in 1977. Brown was a consensus All-American his senior year.

Considering all the outstanding running backs that have come through the ACC such as Kelvin Bryant, Frank Gore, Terrence Flagler and Willis McGahee to name a few, that's lofty stuff.

Brown got better each year playing for the Wolfpack. As a freshman he rushed for 913 yards, followed by 1,088 as a sophomore, 1,251 as a junior and 1,350 as a senior. He also caught 82 passes for 760 yards and two touchdowns in four years. Brown even threw 11 passes a senior, completing six for 140 yards and a touchdown. He was sixth in the Heisman voting in 1978. Brown averaged 5.4 yards a carry for his career.

So it was no wonder that the Minnesota Vikings selected Brown in the first round of the 1979 NFL Draft, the 16th player chosen overall.

Not surprisingly, Brown went on to have a productive eight-year career as a Viking before retiring after the 1986 season. As a pro, Brown bulked up to 206 pounds and kept right on producing. The Vikings also utilized him extensively as a receiver out of the backfield. His best season overall was in 1981 when Brown rushed for 1,063 yards and six touchdowns and caught 83 passes for 694 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 912 yards in 1980. Brown had a career-high 10 rushing touchdowns in 1983.

For his career with the Vikings, Brown rushed for 4,546 yards and 40 touchdowns while catching 337 passes for 2,850 yards and 13 touchdowns. His 53 total touchdowns leaves him tied for 193rd all time in the NFL. He is fifth all-time among Vikings rushers.

Ted Brown, indeed, had an outstanding career playing football.

Mike Duprez can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 218 or mike.duprez@the-dispatch.com.

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